Chapter 7

All eyes were upon them as they entered the home of Greta and Lawrence Hilinsky.

Henry hadn't attended a dance in over a year, although it felt like longer to him, for he felt completely out of his element as he made his way deeper into the crowd. He had become used to being by himself more often than not, for after his mother died, he

lacked the ambition to even step outside of his own home, let alone attend all the

dances that were being hosted by his much wealthier neighbors. He hadn't really

missed it much, he realised it wasn't really the thing for him afterall, but as he looked

over at Winnie and saw her smiling face and sparkling eyes, he figured it wouldn't be so bad to do it again, if only she were with him each time.

"It's all so lovely!" Winnie proclaimed as she paced around the ballroom in a

dream-like trance, soaking in all the sights and sounds going on around her.

"You think so?" He asked, and then added, "Just wait till you see the kind of dance that the Rowan family puts on. It's like a masquerade met a circus!"

"What do you mean by that?" She asked in a chuckle, to which he replied, "Well, let's

just say they've been known to include fire breathers and live tigers as entertainment-"

"You're kidding!"

"I wish I was-" Henry felt a sudden tap upon his shoulder after that, to which he

looked to see the culprit, "Mrs. Hilinsky!"

"Henry!" The short, grey haired lady greeted cheerfully with a pat upon Henry's back,

"It's good to see you. My, how you've grown!...Oh! Is this-"

Henry promptly cleared his throat, "Mrs. Hilinsky, this is my fiancee, Winifred Dunn.

Winifred, this is Mrs Greta Hilinsky."

Winnie gave an awkward curtesy as she replied, "It's nice to meet you, m'aam."

"And, you as well! Oh, aren't you just the cutest thing I ever did see." She turned back to Henry to give him a ribbing, as she declared, "Where were you hiding her? I didn't even know you were courting!"

He just laughed and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn't have much of

an answer to give.

"What do your parents do for work, Winifred?"

"Well, my father's a farmer, and my mother's a homemaker, although she used to be a seamstress"

"Well, those are very respectable jobs!" Mrs. Hilinsky told her, and Winnie could tell

she actually meant it. "Well, I'll let you go now. I've got more people to say hello to!

Thank you for coming, the both of you."

They parted ways with mrs. Hilinsky right as Henry was waved down by a group of

young men, who Henry informed Winnie were some of his 'close aqquaintances'. He

told her he'd return in just a moment, leaving her on her own for the first time that evening. Winnie couldn't help but feel like a lost puppy without him, although he was only across the room from her. She didn't want to bother him, so she stood up

straight and made her way over to the one place she was familiar with; the food table!She snacked on little sandwiches and cakes, completely lost in her own world. She was surprised when a raven-haired girl appeared in front of her suddenly.

"Hi there!" She greeted with a loud, cheery voice.

"Hi. I'm Winifred,..you are?"

She grinned widely, "I'm Evie Jones." She said, before jumping right into the real

reason for her sudden appearance, "Is it true that you're engaged to Henry Wilkinson?

I couldn't help but over hear,...along with everyone else that was evesdropping."

"Yes. We are engaged. Why do ask?"

She was hesitant to say at first, "Well,..it's just that-you see,...Henry is...well, how do I

say this?"

"Huh?"

"Let's just put it this way," She put a hand on her hip, and pointed straight at Winnie

as she stated, "You don't seem to be very well liked!"

Winnie was taken aback by the seemingly harsh words that this stranger had just

spoken to her. Who was this lady to say such a thing?

"What do you mean?" Winnie played it off with a calm demeanor though.

"Henry has always been the most desired bachelore among the ladies." She began to

explain to Winnie, "Every single one of them believed that one day-if they were just paitent enough-that Henry would notice them and fall head-over-heels in love with them, and swoop them away in holy matrimony. And, now here you are. A plain farmer's daughter." She shook her head, "He found someone, and it's not one of them, and that drives them nuts."

"I see."

"All I'm saying is to be careful. Those woman are ravenous! But, don't worry! I'm not apart of it myself. I respect Henry's decision, and you seem like a nice girl."

"Well, thanks. I appreciate it." Was all Winnie could say in that moment.

"Oh, look!" Evie suddenly pointed across the room. "There's one of them talking to

him now."

Winnie felt a feeling inside of her that she couldn't explain-for she hadn't ever felt

such a feeling before-as she looked at the beautiful, emerald-eyed, brunette that stood only a couple of feet from Henry, making him smile and laugh at the nice words she seemingly spoke.

Henry hadn't seen Bethany Tuck since the last dance he'd been to, so he was surprised when she had tapped him on the shoulder. They caught up a bit with one another.

Henry updated her on the family business, and she told him of her latest excursions in

Buffalo, where the man that she was currently courting resided.

"-Is there any plan for marriage for the two of you?" He asked, earning a shrug of the

shoulders from her, as she replied, "I don't know. He hasn't quite mentioned anything

about it yet."

"But, you hope so, don't you?"

She laughed, "Am I that easy to read?"

He laughed as well, "Sometimes."

"So, may I have your last dance? You know, for old time sake. You always were my

last dance when we were younger."

Henry shook his head and replied, "I can't."

"How about the first than?"

"I'm sorry, my first and last dance are already taken." He told her, to which she

questioned, "By who?"

"My fiancee."

She laughed with a genuine smile on her face. "I'm happy to hear that, Henry."

Winnie watched as the two finally parted ways, and Henry found his way back to her.

"I see you found the desserts." He said with a soft chuckle.

"Sure did!...Who was that? That you were talking to."

"Oh, her? That was Bethany Tuck. Just an old friend." He explained. "So, are you

ready?"

He held his arm out to her, as she asked curiously, "For what?"

"For the dance, Winnie."

"Oh, right!" He entwined his arm with hers and lead her to the dance floor. She

warned him that she didn't know how to dance, but he told her not to worry about it

and to just follow his lead, so she did. They danced the night away happily, but in the

crevises of her mind and the depths of her heart, lurked a question that had formed

earlier that night. 'Why me?' She asked herself over and over again in the safety of her private thoughts. She couldn't understand why Henry would want to marry a girl like her. Afterall, she's just a 'plain farmer's daughter'. She's not wealthy, or particularly gifted, nor does she believe herself to be a woman of great beauty, and here they were, in a room full of woman who are wealthy, talented, and beautiful, but yet, he chose her. She couldn't find any reason within in her for why he would do such a thing, but as he held her near and looked intensely into her eyes as he lead her around the room in a dance, she couldn't help but hope that there was a reason, and that she just hadn't found out what it was yet.